Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a network based computer interaction and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for updating a user interface of a client device.
Description of the Related Art
Computer systems exist that enable a user to remotely access computer information, e.g., a database. In some instances a user will use a client device, e.g., cell phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), lap top computer, application specific device, and the like, to connect via a network to a server hosting the information. Such devices have a predefined interface for accessing the computer information from the server. The interface may be created by a program or agent executing on the device; however, such programs or agents require substantial processing resources and memory availability which make them unsuitable for many devices. The interface, produced by such programs or agents, is static—the user enters data and/or queries in predefined fields.
More recently, to accommodate a wide range of devices, browsers have been used to launch web pages that form the interface to the computer information (i.e., web-based user interface). Although web-based user interfaces generally utilize less computer resources than application (program) based interfaces, the interface remains static, i.e., once created, the interface remains the same for each user. The static nature of the interface may impact worker productivity in that the interface cannot be easily optimized to their work habits.
While applications exist that allow run-time modification of such interfaces, they typically require a large install, significant processing power, and a significant amount of data to be transmitted to and from the application server. These requirements make the applications unsuitable for uses on many types of devices, such as mobile devices. These devices are often limited to static interfaces for these reasons.
It would be advantageous if it were possible to modify the user interface of a web-based application at run time. Therefore, there is a need in the art for a dynamic web-based user interface updater.